The lady from the Italian Division HR has been trying to get a hold of Landlady for a couple of days, leaving messages all over the place. She finally talked to her this morning, and Middle Plumber just left now.

It was the plumbing. Specifically, the tap. Hah! I'm currently running the machine on empty for a cycle to clear it out a bit before putting any laundry in.

I pointed out the leaking air conditioning unit while he was here. Aside from leaking from the fan onto the light fixtures when it rains, and the business with the bucket on the balcony, it now has water flowing out of the bottom corner. Middle says hey, it's condensation, what can I do?

Well, you could have installed it properly, for a start.

I also had to measure the cat carrier for the plane reservations to Portugal. Calliope took one look at it, vanished under the bed, and hasn't been seen since. Poor little girl.

She'll be pumped full of kitty-valium on the day though, which slows her down considerably.

The US lost to Germany, 1-0. I'm taking it pretty well.